The Cylinder Archive [www.cylinder.de] release for September 2009: Through the few recordings that Thomas Alva Edison had made in his lifetime, only one recording made it into the record catalog. This recording, a speech given to the American people after World War 1 had just ended, is today the most well-known recording of Mr. Edison's voice among collectors.

Although issued on a 4-minute Blue Amberol cylinder, the speech does only last for 1:47 Minutes. A different take of his speech was also with the National Airs after it while this cylinder has only blank grooves so that it looks it was recorded all the way.

Thomas A. Edison, the inventor of the phonograph, has never before permitted his voice to be recorded for the public. Today, however, he has a message for you that is important enough to cause him to break his long established rule. Mr. Edison will now give you that message. I beg to introduce Mr. Thomas A. Edison:
This is Edison speaking. Our boys made good in France, the word 'American' has a new meaning in Europe. Our soldiers have made it mean courage, generosity, self-restraint and modesty. We are proud of the North Americans who risked their lives for the liberty of the world. But we must not forget and we must not permit demagogues to belittle the part played by our gallant allies. Their casualty list tells the story. However proud we may be of our own achievements, let us remember always, that the war could not have been won if the Belgians, the British, the French and the Italians had not fought like bull-dogs in the face of overwhelming odds. The Great War will live dilately in the minds of Americans for the next hundred years. I hope that when we do reverence to the memory of our brave boys who fell in France, we shall not forget their brothers in arms who wore the uniform of our allies. I believe that the national airs of France, Great Britain, Italy and Belgium should for all time to come be as familiar to us as our own Star Spangled Banner.

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